Sheet feeding mechanism



July 4, 1961 M. J. RELIS 2,991,073

SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1957 FIIIIII.

A 7' T ORNE Y United States Patentl 2,991,073 SHEET FEEDING MECHANISM Matthew J. Relis, Bayside, N.Y., assignor to Burroughs Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Filed Apr. 5, 1957, Ser. No. 650,941 6 Claims. (Cl. 271-29) This invention relates generally to a paper feeding mechanism and more particularly to a device that first aligns and then feeds respectively a plurality of paper sheets sequentially.

Presently sheets of paper can be positioned and then fed to a remote area by either pneumatic means, mechanical means, or a combination of pneumatic and mechanical means. The alignment of adjacent sheets of paper that are being transported, however, will vary relative to the transporting medium.

Accurate two dimensional alignment of each sheet of paper, relative to the transporting medium, is of paramount importance when new or additional information is to be printed or punched on the sheet of paper, or information contained on the sheet of paper is to be scanned while the sheet of paper is in motion. This type of operation is known as printing, or reading or punching on the fly, and the slightest misalignment of the sheet of paper, either laterally or longitudinally, relative to the reference plane which is usually the pick-up means will result in the production of unacceptable results. The accurate alignment of the transporting medium relative to two edges of used or old sheets of paper such as personal checks, travelers checks, money orders and the equivalent for the sensing of specific information is still more difficult as such items are usually in a semimutilated condition.

' It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved device that can accurately align and transmit sequentially a plurality of sheets of paper.

It is another object of this invention to provide an im-' proved device that can align accurately a lateral edge of a sheet of paper relative to a transporting medium.

7 It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved device that can orient accurately a leading edge of a sheet of paper to abut against a stop.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a device that will positively pick up each sheet of paper.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved device that can function with great reliability and accuracy in transporting a new or old sheet of paper.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improved sheet feeding mechanism that is reliable in operation and economical to produce.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved sheet feeding mechanism that restricts the upward movement of the lower terminal sheet of, paper.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the apparatus becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

-FIG. 1 is a side View of a sheet feeding device with .a section of the sheet holding structure cut awayto more clearly show the sheet orienting structure;

FIG. 2 is an end view looking along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1 showing the orienting means;

FIG. 3 is a top view of a sheet feeding device showing the sheet orienting structure and a portion of the pneumatic pick-up drum;

- FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a sheet feeding device with a section of the sheet holding structure cut away to show the removal of the lowermost sheet by pneumatic means;

FIG. 5 is a side view of a' portion of a split roller;

FIG. 6 is a view looking along the lines 6-6 of FIG. 5 showing a cross section of a split roller and high friction tandem wheels;

FIG. 7 is a view looking along the line 77 of FIG. 5; and

FIGS. 8 and 9 are top and side views of a bearing support element.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

This invention first positions mechanically and then removes by pneumatic means sheets of paper from a stack of paper sequentially. Briefly, a stack of paper sheets are supported in a magazine, the base members of which rotatably support a cylindrical roller which is slotted along its longitudinal axis.

A plurality of wheels are positioned, in tandem, within the slotted area of the cylindrical roller, and are rotatably coupled to the cylindrical roller. Thus, the rotational axis of the tandem rollers is in a plane that is at right angles to the rotational axis of the split roller. The tandem rollers are coupled together by idler gears or the equivalent such that any one of the rollers can drive all of the other rollers, the speed and direction of rotation of the rollers being identical.

The pneumatic pick-up means consists of a rotating drum that traverses a path adjacent to and underlying the lower terminal sheet of the stack of sheets to remove a sheet of paper. The longitudinal axis of the slotted roller is aligned parallel to the direction of withdrawal of the departing sheet.

In operation, when the lower terminal or end sheet of paper is withdrawn from the stack by the pneumatic pickup means it drags the sheet of paper immediately above it in the direction that it is being pulled; and, it drives the tandem wheels which, in turn, drive the next appearing sheet of paper in the same direction. Immediately after the removal of the lower terminal sheet, the next appearing sheet is exposed along its entire length to the cy1indrical roller which is rotated at a constant speed by a motor or the equivalent. Thus, the tandem wheels in combination with the continuously rotating cylindrical roller drives the sheet in two directions: First longitudinally into a first stop position, and second, laterally or sideways into a second stop position. A series of sawtooth steps or projections cut into the second stop member prevent the continuously rotating cylindrical roller from driving the lateral edge of the paper upwards. In this manner the lower terminal sheet is aligned accurately in two directions prior to removal by the pneumatic means. Upon removal, the next appearing sheet is positioned in a like manner, the procedure continuing until the last or upper terminal sheet of the stack has been positioned and removed.

Referring to the figures, a shaft 20 is mounted to a frame and supports a rotatable drum 22. Positioned around the peripheral surface 26 of the drum are a number of sets of ports 24 which communicate selectively, by means of passageways, to a source of suction. The

ports on the rotating drum, in cooperation with the source of suction are used to pick up and transport a sheet of paper. At the appropriate instant, the sheet of paper is released from the peripheral surface of the drum by merely disconnecting the ports from the source of suction. Thus, the rotating drum 22 can be used to pick up a sheet of paper by connecting the ports to a source of suction, and transport the paper until the source of suction is disconnected from the ports. A more positive separating action between the drum and the sheet of paper can be obtained by coupling the ports to a source of pressure immediately after they are disconnected from the source of suction.

A magazine that can receive a plurality of sheets of paper 30 arranged flat one on top of another is positioned in close proximity to and immediately above the peripheral surface 26 of the drum 22. The magazine is defined by a base 28, a full side plate 32, a front end plate 34, a rear end plate 36, and a quarter side plate 38. The sides, front, back and base plates are secured to each other by means of screws or the equivalent. A relatively large space is left in a side of the magazine between the quarter side plate 38 and the rear end plate 36 to allow easy access to the interior of the magazine for the insertion or removal of a stack of paper sheets 30.

The front end plate 34 is internally grooved and slidably accommodates a sheet restraining strip 40 that defines the longitudinal stop position of the bottom most sheet. The strip can be positioned vertically and in its normal position, its lower edge projects below the surface of the plate 28 but does not contact the peripheral surface 26 of the drum 22. A screw 42 slidably passes through a vertical slot in the front end plate 34 and threads into the strip 40 to lock the strip 40 in a preselected position.

Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of sawtooth shaped projections 31 are cut into the lower inner portion of the side wall 32 and extends along the length of the wall parallel to the face member. The lower surface of each projection extends outward and substantially horizontally from the side of the plate 32 while the upper surface of each projection extends upward from the outermost edge and at an acute angle to the lower surface to meet the innermost edge of the next higher substantially horizontal projection. Thus, by utilizing a plurality of sawtooth projections wherein the length of each projection is equal substantially to the length of the side member, a unilateral force is exerted on each sheet of paper to greatly inhibit a vertical displacement upward of the sheet while still allowing a vertical displacement downward of the sheet.

Referring to FIG. 3, the base plate 28 of the magazine is divided into a front end 44 and a rear end 46.

As each lower terminal sheet of paper is withdrawn from the magazine by the pneumatic pick-up means it passes through an opening in the magazine formed by a cut away section of the front end of the base plate. The cut away section of the base plate is in the shape of a V having a horizontal step approximately half way down each leg to further narrow the opening. All of the corners are rounded with generous radii to prevent the tearing of a sheet of paper as it is withdrawn from the stack. The front end of the end plate is positioned within close proximity to the peripheral surface 26 of the drum 22 thus allowing each set of holes 24 to traverse a path directly beneath the cut out section of the base plate.

A bearing support 41 containing three projections 48, 49, and 50 is secured to the base plate 28 just behind the cut out by means of screws or the equivalent and positioned to allow the projection to face towards the rear of the base plate. A second bearing plate 54 containing three apertures 56, 58 and 60 is secured to the rear end 46 of the base plate 28 by means of screws or the equivalent. The apertures 56, 58 and 60 are aligned respectively with the projection 48, 49 and 50 and are utilized to rotatably support three split rollers 62, 64 and 66. The three slotted cylindrical rollers are aligned parallel to each other and each projects above the surface of the face plate an equal amount. Each of the three rollers are similar in design and construction and, therefore, only one of the slotted rollers 66 will be described in detail.

One end of the slotted roller 66 contains an aperture 68 that slidably accommodates the projection 48. The other end of the roller 66 contains an aperture 70 that is aligned with the aperture 60 of the bearing plate 54 and a driving gear 100 that is coupled rigidly to the roller by means of solder, a set screw, orthe equivalent. A pin 72 inserted into the aligned apertures 70 and 60 'is locked securely to the cylindrical roller 66 by means of a set screw inserted into a threaded opening 74. Thus the aperture 60 functions as a bearing for the pin which, in turn, functions as a pivot for the roller 66. In a like manner each of the other split cylindrical rollers are rotatably mounted relative to the base plate 28 to allow the cylinders to rotate freely While their longitudinal movement is restricted.

A plurality of bearing shafts 76, 78, 80 and 82 supported by the two arms 75 and 77 of the cylindrical roller 66 are positioned parallel to each other and pass through the slotted area 73. The first bearing shaft 76 supports a rotatable friction wheel 84 and a rotatable coupling gear 86. The wheel and the gear are locked together by rivets, or the like, to prevent any relative motion between them. The second shaft 78 supports a spacer 88 and a rotatable idler gear 90. The coupling gear 86 and the idler gear are of the same diameter and their gear teeth mesh with each other. The spacer 88 restricts lateral movement of the idler gear 90 relative to the shaft 78 thus preventing the idler gear 90 from disengaging from the coupling gear 86. The next appearing or third shaft from the left hand end of the split roller 66 supports a rotatable friction wheel and coupling gear similar to the to tatable friction wheel 84 and rotatable coupling gear 86 supported by the shaft 76. The coupling gear supported by the third shaft meshes with the idler gear 90. The fourth shaft from the left hand end of the split roller 66 supports a spacer and rotatable idler gear similar to the spacer 88 and rotatable idler gear 90 supported by the shaft 78. The diameter of each friction wheel is equal to the diameter of the cylindrical roller 66, and each wheel rotates about a center axis that intersects the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical roller. The orderly sequence of a friction wheel and coupling gear followed by a spacer and idler gear is continued until the last shaft 82 is reached which supports a rotatable friction wheel 92 and rotatable coupling gear 94, similar to the rotatable friction wheel 84 and the rotatable coupling gear 86 supported by the shaft 76. Thus, a friction wheel is present at each end of the aligned or tandem wheels positioned in the slotted area of the cylindrical roller, and each idler gear meshes with the coupling gears located on each side of it. The idler gears and the coupling gears have the same diameter and support the same number of teeth, therefore, if any one of the friction wheels is driven in a clockwise direction all the other friction wheels will rotate in a clockwise direction at the same rate of speed as the initially driven friction wheel.

The bearing plate 54 supports a rotatable gear 102, and a driver idler gear 104. The rotatable gear 102 meshes with the driving gears 96 and 98 attached to the ends of the cylindrical rollers 62 and 64 respectively, and a driver idler gear 104 meshes with the driving gears 98 and 100 attached to the ends of the cylindrical rollers 64 and 66 respectively. The rotatable gear 102 is driven by an external source through a gear and chain drive and the driver idler gear 104 maintains uniform rotational direction between the roller 66 and the other rollers.

Thus, when the gear 102 is driven by an external source, each of the cylindrical rollers rotate at the same speed and in the same direction. However, the tandem wheels of each cylindrical roller remains stationary, relative to their bearing shafts, until driven by a sheet of paper firictionally coupled to and dragged over the wheels.

The cylindrical rollers 62, 64, and 66 are initially positioned to rotate out of phase relative to each other. For example, referring to FIG. 2, if it is assumed that at some particular instant the tandem frictional wheels of the cylindrical roller 62 are in the vertical position, then the tandem frictional wheels of the cylindrical roller 64 will assume a lagging angle of sixty degrees relative to the tandem friction wheels of cylindrical roller 62, and the tandem friction wheels of the cylindrical roller 66 will assume a leading angle of sixty degrees relative to the tandem wheels of the cylindrical roller 62. In this manner a uniform distribution of the frictional forces are applied to the under surfaces of the sheets by the tandem friction wheels.

In the operation of this invention, a stack of new or used paper sheets are placed flat, one on top of another, in the magazine and aligned relative to the side plate 32 and the sheet'restraining strip 40 in the end plate 34. As the rotates in the direction shown by the arrow inFIG. l, the ports 24 pass under. the cut out V-shaped portion of the base plate. At a predetermined instant the ports 24. are allowed to communicate with a source of suction which creates a pull on the bottom side of the lower terminal sheet. As the sheet is pulled out from the bottom of the stack by the action of the rotating drum, the center portion of the terminal sheet along its longitudinal axis conforms to the contour of the surface of the drum, and due to the action of the V-shaped contact the forward side edges of the sheet tend to rise vertically. The sheets located above the bottommost sheet are not sensitive to the suction created by the ports, and, as such, are not drawn down or removed by the rotating drum. Thus, only one sheet at a time is withdrawn from the stack of sheets. Due to the combined weight of the sheets and the weight 45 on the very top sheet, a loading elfect exists between the tandem wheels and the lower terminal sheet. As the lower terminal sheet is withdrawn by the rotating drum its lower surface contacts and exerts a torque which rotates the friction wheels that it contacts, in one or more of the cylindrical rollers, in a clockwise direction (FIG. 1). The coefficient of friction between the surface of the friction wheels and the end or lower terminal sheet of paper is greater than the coefficient of friction between the lower terminal sheet of paper and the next appearing sheet of paper. The tandem wheels that are driven by the sheet being withdrawn imparts an appreciable forward thrust to the incipient terminal sheet as soon as the rearmost friction wheels contact the lower surface of the posterior sheet exposed by the forward motion or withdrawal of the lower terminal sheet thus adding to the thrust transmitted through the frictional coupling between the terminal sheet and the incipient terminal sheet. The forward thrust imparted by the tandem wheels drives the posterior terminal sheets longitudinally to position its leading edge against the strip 40.

The slotted cylindrical rollers are driven continuously in a counterclockwise direction as seen from the bearing plate 54 of FIG. 3. The cylindrical rollers, with the aid of the frictional wheels, drives the terminal sheet laterally into the side plate 32. The slotted rollers are displaced in phase relative to each other such that the tandem wheels of each of the cylindrical rollers will contact sequentially the lower surface of the terminal sheet. In this manner, the terminal sheet is positioned accurately laterally and longitudinally and remains in a substantially horizontal position as it is not subjected to vertical agitation while being driven laterally.

The cylindrical rollers are rotated continuously to drive each terminal sheet laterally into the side plate 32. However, after the sheet has been positioned laterally continued rotation of the cylindrical rollers tends to drive the terminal sheet up the inner wall of the side plate 32. This is prevented by sawtooth shaped projections 31 of FIG. 2 which function as a ratchet to produce a unidirectional action upon the edge of the terminal sheet to present considerable resistance to the edge of the sheet only if it tries to climb the inner wall of the side plate 32. In this manner an additional control is exerted upon the sheet to laterally register the terminal sheet accurately. Thus, the lower terminal sheet is held in a horizontal position at a level approximately equal to the height of the peripheries of the friction wheels as they rotate through their highest point above the base plate.

The rotational speed of the cylindrical rollers is not critical, however, the rate of withdrawal of the sheet should be high compared to the rotational speed of the cylindrical rollers, and it should be noted that several the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed is;

l. A sheet feeding mechanism for sequential-1y positioning and removing a sheet from a plurality of sheets comprising a magazine that supports a plurality of sheets positioned flat one next to another, pickup means that traverses a path adjacent tosaid magazine to withdraw periodically an end sheet from said plurality of sheets, drive means coupled to said magazine to abut an end sheet of said plurality of sheets driven by said withdrawn sheet to urge a posterior sheet in the direction of travel of said withdrawn sheet, and rotatable means supporting said drive means to urge the posterior sheet in a second direc tion.

2. A sheet feeding mechanism for sequentially positioning and removing a sheet from a plurality of sheets comprising a magazine that supports a plurality of sheets positioned flat one next to another, pickup means that traverses a path adjacent to said magazine to withdraw an end sheet from said plurality of sheets, a first wheel coupled to said magazine to abut an end sheet of said plurality of sheets driven by said withdrawn sheet, a second wheel coupled to said magazine and positioned in tandem with and driven by said first wheel to urge the posterior sheet in the direction of travel of the withdrawn sheet, and drive means coupled to rotate said first and second wheels about an axis common to said first and second Wheels to drive the posterior sheet in a second direction.

3. A sheet feeding mechanism for sequentially positioning and removing a sheet from a plurality of sheets comprising a magazine that supports a plurality of sheets positioned flat one next to another, pickup means that traverses a path adjacent to said magazine to withdraw periodically an end sheet from said plurality of sheets, a first wheel coupled to said magazine to abut an end sheet of said plurality of sheets driven by said withdrawn sheet, a second wheel coupled to said magazine and positioned in tandem with and driven by said first wheel to drive the posterior sheet in the direction of travel of the withdrawn terminal sheet, and a split roller coupled to said first and second wheels to rotate them about an axis common to said first and second wheels to drive the posterior sheet in a second direction.

4. A sheet feeding mechanism for sequentially positioning and removing a sheet from a plurality of sheets comprising a magazine that supports a plurality of sheets positioned flat one next to another, a rotatable pneumatic drum that traverses a path adjacent to said magazine to withdraw periodically an end sheet from said plurality of sheets, first drive means coupled to said magazine to abut an end sheet of said plurality of sheets driven by said withdrawn sheet to drive the posterior sheet in the same direction of travel as the withdrawn sheet, second drive means coupled to said first drive means to urge said posterior sheet in a second direction, and sawtooth projections coupled to an interior wall of said magazine to inhibit an edge of said posterior sheet from climbing a wall of said magazine.

5. A sheet feeding mechanism for sequentially positioning and removing a sheet from a plurality of sheets comprising a magazine that supports a plurality of sheets positioned flat one next to another, a rotatable pneumatic drum that traverses a path adjacent to said magazine to withdraw an end sheet from said plurality of sheets, a first wheel coupled to said magazine to abut an end sheet of said plurality of sheets driven by said withdrawn sheet,

a second wheel coupled to said magazine and positioned posterior sheet in the direction of travel of the withdrawn sheet, a split roller coupled to said first and second wheels to rotate them about an axis common to said first and second wheels to drive the posterior sheet in a second direction, and a sawtooth projection coupled to an interior wall of said magazine to inhibit an edge of said posterior sheet from climbing the wall of said magazine.

6. A sheet transporting mechanism comprising a roller, a support mounting said roller on a longitudinal axis for driving asheet in a first direction perpendicular to said axis, said roller being formed with a longitudinally extending slot parallel to said axis, at least one wheel disposed in said slot, a second support mounted in said slot 15 21853396 ,8 and extending in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said roller, said second support rotatably mounting said wheel for driving a sheet in a second di-,

rection perpendicular to said first direction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 236,427 Griffith et a1. Jan. 11, 1881 807,321 Ruth Dec. 12, 1905 1,201,361 Schwerdtle Oct. 17, 1916 1,392,750 Fink Oct. 4, 1921 2,704,209 Halahan et a1. 2- Mar. 15, 1955 2,749,118 Kerr et al June 5, 1956 Skow Sept. 23, 1958 

